RE: [j4x-owners-group] Re: Any ideas for how to close off the hawse slot on a J/42 on passage?

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j4x-owners-group@yahoogroups.com

Where did you find the factory rubber plugs?

Conrad

J42 Another J

From: j4x-owners-group@yahoogroups.com [mailto:j4x-owners-group@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Bernard Coyne
Sent: Thursday, July 15, 2010 8:52 PM
To: j4x-owners-group@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [j4x-owners-group] Re: Any ideas for how to close off the hawse slot on a J/42 on passage?

Offshore the bow of our J/42 Amigo VI is nearly always awash. We have installed the factory rubber plugs that go in the holes on the hatch for the anchor locker. If I recall correctly those holes are for the spinnaker sheets and guys when using a snuffer - although we ourselves have never used them at all.

The windlass hole also can let in a tremendous amount of water. So when we go offshore, we plug the windlass hole with a squash ball and then seal it with PlayDoo. We then wrap the windlass in plastic and seal it all off with duct tape. Then we use duct tape to seal the hatch around all the edges. I should add that we first pack the locker with fenders and sometimes beach balls to reduce the volume.

Unfortunately water still gets in there and I am sure it is from the drain hole. I think the water is forced in quickly as the bow crashes through the waves and then it drains slower out the same hole. Net result is that the anchor locker still has a lot of water at times. I keep wondering about plugging the drain hole but am hesitant to risk it.

>
> I'm thinking of Bill & Kathy's experience on J/42 #2, Jarana, off the shore of California where the anchor locker filled up with so much water, it found its way through a conduit and onto their forward berth! While one could install a bigger drain at the bottom of the locker, it seems that the obvious solution is to stop the ingress.
>
> I'm wondering if anyone has an elegant solution on how to do this? A nylon plug with a latch on the bottom? Duct tape? A rag? :-)
>
> -tk
>